An evolving art installation 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red' by artist Paul Cummins at the Tower of London

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will join Prince Harry at the Tower of London today to each plant a ceramic poppy in an art installation symbolising the thousands of lives lost during the First World War.

The visit to the exhibition, entitled Blood Swept Lands And Seas Of Red, at the Tower's moat comes a day after the royals joined political leaders and relatives of the fallen in Belgium to remember the sacrifices and losses exactly a century on from Britain's entry into the war.

A moving twilight ceremony at St Symphorien military cemetery near Mons was the highlight of a day of events in the UK and Belgium marking 100 years since the Great War's start.

Action urged to curb antibiotic use

More must be done to curb unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics, experts said after a new study found that the number of patients dished out the drugs for minor ailments has soared in recent years.

Thirty-six per cent of patients were given antibiotics for coughs and colds in 1999 but by 2011 this figure had soared to 51%, researchers found.

This is despite the fact that the Government issued guidance in 1998 warning GPs not to issue antibiotics for "simple" coughs and colds.

Israel and Hamas ceasefire begins

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas meant to last at least three days has taken effect in the Gaza Strip.

The truce was agreed to by both sides in the month-long war. It started at 8am (6am UK time) today.

During the 72-hour truce, Israel and Hamas are to hold indirect talks in Cairo on a broader deal that would prevent future cross-border violence.

Parties in Holyrood power pledge

Holyrood will get more tax-raising powers and greater responsibility for social security if voters in Scotland reject independence, David Cameron and his Labour and Liberal Democrat counterparts have pledged.

The leaders of the UK Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats have made a formal joint declaration, making clear their commitment to delivering further powers for the Scottish Parliament after the 2015 general election.

The three parties have already set out their own proposals for enhancing devolution, with the three Scottish leaders coming together to promise more powers in the event of a No vote in next month's independence referendum.

Doctor in Nigeria contacts Ebola

The doctor who treated a man who flew to Nigeria and died of Ebola has now contracted the disease, authorities said.

It presented a dire challenge to Africa's most populous nation as the regional toll for the outbreak grew to 887 dead.

As Nigerian health authorities rushed to quarantine others who had been exposed, a special plane left Liberia to evacuate the second American missionary who fell ill with Ebola.

Clegg sets out immigration stance

Nick Clegg will make a bold grab for traditional Tory territory today by accusing David Cameron of failing to shore up Britain's borders.

The Deputy Prime Minister is to claim Mr Cameron was so "fixated" on his target of reducing net immigration to tens of thousands that he neglected the need to bolster basic checks.

The Conservatives have only recently "backed away" from the commitment and allowed the coalition to make progress on the underlying issues, according to the Liberal Democrat leader.

A&E closures affect death rates

Closing hospital accident and emergency (A&E) departments has knock-on effects that lead to more patient deaths, a US study has shown.

Shutting down a local casualty ward can have a significant adverse impact on the fate of patients at nearby hospitals, it is claimed.

Recent closure of an A&E unit increased the death rate of patients admitted to surrounding hospitals by 5%, the research conducted in San Francisco found.

Judge 'sorry' for impact comments

A judge has apologised to the family of a murdered man after they overheard him comment that victim impact statements made "no difference" when considering parole for his killers.

Judge Graham White's conversation was overheard by Geraldine and Peter McGinty whose son Colin was stabbed to death 13 years ago in Merseyside.

The 21-year-old's parents told the BBC they were heartbroken to hear the comments made over the video-link, after submitting a statement which explained that they were "serving a life sentence of heartache and grief and pain" as the killers applied to be transferred to open prisons.

Film night out for the Inbetweeners

The cast of The Inbetweeners are heading to the West End tonight for the premiere of their latest film.

Its four stars - Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley and Blake Harrison - will all be on the red carpet ahead of the screening of their latest adventure.

The new film - The Inbetweeners 2 - sees the foursome embark on a road trip through Australia and is a follow-up to the 2011 film which saw the hapless teenagers go on holiday in Crete at the end of their final school year.

Phone users ignore Flash features

3D graphics, curved screens and eye-tracking are all futuristic features that can now be found on present day smartphones, but the majority of British users are more interested in battery life when it comes to buying a new device.

New research by price comparison site uSwitch.com has found that Britons see the most important thing about any smartphone is how easy it is to use, with 29% voting it a top priority. Next up was phone call reception with 19% - the same as battery life.

Fingerprint scanners, 3D-like graphics and voice control have all been introduced as mainstream smartphone features in the last two years.